Why I wrote 50,000 words about previous jobs
I’m attempting a full-scale job search from scratch right now, something most of us in government don’t often do when we look for a job. Instead, most of us look for something that is just a bit different from what we have — a new area, or a new boss, or a new level, etc., but rarely do we step back and say, “Before I even look for a job, what do I want to find? What’s really important to me?”. By nature, employed people tend to be incrementalists.
So I wanted to look back at all my previous jobs — all the way back to being a paperboy — to see what I had learned in the jobs, and what I had liked about the positions. As I wrote, I found myself talking about experiences, not the “lessons learned” or even “what I learned about myself”, and I felt like I needed to get all that info out of my head and onto the page to allow myself the time to now look back at them and see what the outcomes and common elements were…in short, I wrote it all out so I could analyze it as if it was someone else.
So here is what I learned, and now I have to figure out what’s really important to me moving forward.
| Blog link / part | Job | What I learned |
| Part 1 — 2360w | a. Paperboy | Piece-work sucks Some jobs you hate Front-line transactions is an up and down world |
| b. Dishwasher | Not everyone is good at manual tasks Not being efficient is not the same as complete inability or failure Find a job that required my intellect over my manual processing | |
| c. Telemarketing | I felt like a parasite Cash is sometimes needed more than my ego Piece-work sucks, including commission-based piece-work | |
| d. Serials Assistant, University library | Hiring is often about the “story” they hear Making yourself useful is a great way to stay employed — value-added work Computers were going to change everything, and not everyone knew how to work a PC Special projects add to the enjoyment of a job Curiosity can make up for a lot of social inability | |
| Part 2 — 1805w | e. Assistant to the Treasurer | Not everyone knows how to use a PC Lots of groups need help with basic organizational support Value-added helping is fun |
| f. Computer lab assistant | Not everyone understands software Some people can understand specific applications if it links to other things they understand I liked helping people I worked differently than other people in the same position People liked the responsible way I approached my work | |
| Part 3 — 2387w | g. IT support (internal) | I worked differently than others Bosses liked the way I approached my work Things that were obvious to me for how to organize work were not as obvious to other workers or even some of my bosses Value-added “extra” work was valued by my bosses |
| h. IT support (internal and external) | Being good at a lot of things could be better than being an expert in one thing I liked things to be organized efficiently, not haphazardly Bosses thought of it as “initiative” | |
| Part 4 — 4153w | i. Law coop student, Ministry of Education, BC | Backgrounders can be hard to write well but are the backbone of policy I liked government, and I wanted to work there Your work life in public service depends on who you work with and for Policy development doesn’t always follow the textbook so much as start with what others are doing Doing value-added work is valued by bosses How you do / approach the work is valued as much as what you do |
| Part 5 — 3357wPart 5 addendum — 1132w | j. MPA co-op student, DFAIT | Some departments value policy over programs Policy people don’t often understand basic logistics, administration Sufficiently advanced computer skills are viewed as magical Working on high-level policy stuff for Cabinet is heady stuff I like special projects I like the adrenalin of doing good logistics I had some skills but my approach to work also made me “capable” |
| Part 6 — 3512w | k. Contractor, DFAIT | I liked building an interdepartmental network Some people are just flat-out jerks and don’t take responsibility when they screw up Responsibility and duty are not just words to me Contracting rules can be bent You know people are happy with your work when they request you by name I liked and was good at logistics |
| Part 7 — 1612w | l. Temp, CIC | Being unemployed with no EI benefits sucks Even in basic positions, I focused on value-added work Office politics can kill you You can be hired by reputation alone |
| Part 8 — 3941w | m. Contractor, DFAIT | I abhor the spotlight and prefer to work behind the scenes Sometimes you manage your own HR file |
| n. Term IS-03, DFAIT | Grief is a strange companion that can be delayed but not avoided Fate sometimes carries you through, even when self-planning doesn’t I’m really good at logistics I don’t really like formal work environments | |
| Part 9 — 3356w | o. Development Officer, Multilateral, CIDA | Pay rules in the government are weird Different departments have very different cultures I like informal work environments Give me enough to do, and I’d stay forever I can do formal negotiations and the policy schmoozing, but I don’t enjoy it I suck at languages I enjoy interdepartmental work I’m pretty good at corporate work and nobody else likes it I like to travel, but not business travel The integrity of the system is extremely important to me |
| Part 10 — 2414w | p. Development Officer, Caribbean, CIDA | I hate micro-management of partners Service delivery people know almost nothing about the Department’s broad corporate initiatives I wasn’t really interested in a posting I liked earning a level through competition over being part of a development program |
| Part 11 — 4907w | q. Analyst, Policy Branch, CIDA | Just because someone looks young, doesn’t mean she’s a co-op student (Hi wife!) I could hold my own in meetings with much more senior people when it was about corporate files I hate the way some people do Comms Sometimes the only solution to a problem is to blow it up Logistics issues don’t phase me at all Different managers handle interactions with employee’s lives differently, and with good outcomes I didn’t know if I wanted to be an EX-01 I’m pretty good at the business planning side |
| Part 12 — 2969w | r. Senior Policy Officer, DM’s office, CIDA | Sometimes high-level jobs are just about pushing paper Someone has to manage senior executives, even if it’s managing upward I prefer informal, simple solutions rather than formal, complex processes Even things signed by very senior people can be wrong |
| Part 13 — 5101w | s. Manager, International Relations, SDC | Having kibble is better than having bits (sorry, Bits!) Politics has more impact on my life than I ever thought possible Being good with my co-op student paid off with my future ADM A good Director and a good ADM can be off-set by a really bad DG Sometimes, the public service does the right thing and fires people A good team can make for a great experience It’s okay to have a five-year plan for global domination I like to travel, but don’t really enjoy business travel My way of working cooperatively and collaboratively can build networks I have had bad bosses before, and I will tolerate a lot, but I have my limits |
| Part 14 — 4400w | t. Manager, Strategy and Integration, HRSDC | I understand the difference between a true policy framework and what often passes for one Just because your Director and DG say something is one way doesn’t make it so Pushing string is no fun Not everyone approaches HR the way I do — too many settle for easy answers Messing with HR is a breach of integrity that has wide implications for morale Vision and direction are crucial and have to be at the right level for each file People are sometimes afraid of their bosses because they’re more senior Personally investing in your files is risky |
| Part 15 — 4747w | u. Manager, Performance Measurement, HRSDC | I’m *really* good at corporate files Very few good people want to do corporate work I can be naïvely fearless I am good at and love big complex corporate projects Ethical challenges show up in day-to-day work, not big questions Special projects require someone to take them on, often as “extra duties as required” I’m kind of anal when it comes to ensuring proper briefings are done Sometimes corporate-run exercises, particularly for HR, are really really bad |
| Part 16 — 1541w | v. Manager, Planning and Accountability, ESDC | I like fixing systems issues Sometimes you stay in jobs just because you like your boss a lot I like seeing employees develop I still am not sure if I ever want to be an EX |
| Total: 53,694 |
